If you want to return a Sprint handset to its rightful owner, according to Sprint you've got two options. The first is taking it to a Sprint retail store. The second? Chuck it in the garbage bin.

The above transcript is apparently a conversation between a Geekologie reader and a Sprint customer service representative. And apparently the latter doesn't have much of a strategy prepared to get your phone back to you without going through a brick-and-mortar location. The crucial moment of the exchange:

And with that, someone's Palm Pre (or whatever!) was lost to the local dump. Sprint subscribers of the world, take note, and get yourself a nice wrist-tether for your phone. Or hope that whoever finds it tries calling people in your contact list before resorting to customer service. [Geekologie]